5 Benefits to a Gluten-Free Diet

I have horrible eczema on my hands and when I was searching the web for a way to treat it (something I wouldn’t usually recommend if you’re a hypochondriac like me) I found some interesting information about how eczema can sometimes be treated by following a gluten-free diet. Now, the idea originally sounded horrible to me — I mean how can I possibly live without my fried foods? However, after some research, it seems that living a gluten-free lifestyle can provide more than just skin benefits.

For those of you that don’t know, gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, grains and some cereals. One of gluten’s main roles is to keep certain food’s elasticity undamaged during the fermentation process of food production. A gluten-free diet is usually associated with celiac disease, which is a condition where the small intestine is sensitive to gluten. Recently, people not even suffering from celiac disease are turning to a gluten free diet to reap its advantages.

Weight Loss: A lot of foods that are processed and unhealthy contain a lot of gluten, therefore, if you’re restricted from these foods, you will inevitably loose weight. For example, most desserts and fried foods are off-limits when eating gluten-free. This is one of the reasons I don’t think I could ever actually follow through with this!

Lowered Cholesterol Levels: High cholesterol is caused when a high amount of saturated fats and cholesterol gather on the arteries that provide nourishment to your heart. It is recommended that people with high cholesterol switch to a gluten-free diet in order to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Improved Digestion: One of the main side-effects of celiac disease is digestive-related symptoms including diarrhea and constipation. By eliminating gluten from your diet it can significantly reduce these symptoms. If you don’t have celiac disease, but want to improve your digestion, a gluten-free diet may be for you.

Increased Energy Levels: This is something that some gluten-free dieters have claimed improved in them, however, this could also be because they were just consuming healthier foods and being more conscientious of the foods they were eating.

Eczema Clearing: Eczema has appeared to be linked with celiac disease and because a gluten-free diet is the cure for celiac disease, it is said that a gluten-free diet can also clear up eczema.